Sports protective equipment include helmets, protective eyewear, face protection & mouth guards, pads, guards, and others that are designed to prevent or reduce the risk of injuries to a sportsperson. They are majorly used in sports such as football, baseball, cycling, cricket, snowboarding, and others.

Growth in consumer awareness regarding health & fitness, prominence of national & international sports events, rise in participation in sports activities, and increase in consumer spending on sports protective equipment are the factors that supplement the growth of the market. However, availability of inexpensive counterfeit products and their high prices hamper the market growth. Rise in trend of online retail and growth in penetration of sports in emerging markets are expected to offer lucrative opportunities for the development of the market.

The market is segmented by product type, area of protection, distribution channel, and geography. Based on product type, it is subcategorized into helmets & other headgear, protective eyewear, face protection & mouth guards, and pads, guards, chest protectors, and gloves. Pads, guards, chest protectors, and gloves is expected to lead the market throughout the analysis period. By area of protection, the market is segmented into head & face protective equipment, trunk & thorax protective equipment, upper extremity protective equipment, and lower extremity protective equipment. Head & face protective equipment held the largest market share in 2015, and is expected to dominate the market throughout the forecast period. On the basis of distribution channel, it is classified into specialty retail stores, multi-retail stores, online stores & others. Specialty retail store is projected to continue to remain the preferred channel for sports gear; however, online and multi-retail (supermarkets, hypermarkets, discount stores, and others) stores are anticipated to witness faster growth in the coming years.

Sports protective equipment market trend is analyzed across North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, and rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, and rest of Asia-Pacific), and LAMEA (Brazil, Middle East, and rest of LAMEA). North America accounted for the largest market size of over 35% in 2015. LAMEA is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 6.9% owing to the increase in penetration of sports and the rise in disposable income.